Obama, GOP Differ on Medical Legal Liability

WASHINGTON (AP) — Administration officials say President Barack Obama remains opposed to limits on damages in medical liability cases even though he responded favorably to a Republican lawmaker recommending legislation along those lines.

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (CAP'-uh-toh) says that at a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, she recommended a bill like one in effect in her home state of West Virginia. She said the president replied that it sounded good.

Capito said that in her comments, she did not refer specifically to placing limits on damages, which is a central feature of the law in effect in her state since 2003.

The White House said the president has not altered his views.

His budget includes $250 million to help states rewrite their own medical liability laws, but doesn't mention caps.